A McCarthy Christmas [Moonlight Shifters 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Morgan Fox

  “What I needed was an excuse to see you.” She uncrossed her legs and adjusted to cross her legs again. Her foot brushed determinedly against his shin.

  Was she flirting with him? He pulled his leg back to break contact. “See me about what exactly?”

  She laughed softly. “You really are good at playing hard to get,” she teased, reaching across the table to touch his hand. “Are you working through the holidays or taking time off?”

  “I’m supposed to go home, but…”

  “But you could change your mind with a better offer?” She licked her lips in a provocative way, and his cock tingled in response. “I can think of a few nice things to do this Christmas that could bring in a banging new year.”

  He chuckled nervously, picking up on her choice words. Wow, he was out of practice, and he felt like a douche for enjoying the attention. It had been a long time since he’d thought of anyone, besides Brie. He pulled his hand away and sipped his coffee.

  “Did Sebastian happen to mention my wife, Brie?”

  Her eyes rounded as she grimaced. “Oh my God. You’re married?” She sounded disgusted.

  Her abrupt response almost had his coffee shooting out of his nose. “I take that as a no.” Sebastian was so dense when it came to women, he couldn’t see the pussy through the pubic hair. “I’m sorry, Kimberly.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she told him, with a disappointed huff of breath. “It’s your brothers.”

  They laughed. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  After the pink tint of her cheeks faded, he asked, “So tell me what you’ve been up to these last years.”

  She sipped her coffee and shrugged. “I got married out of college, but divorced soon after. He couldn’t handle the hours I worked.”

  “Being a lawyer’s tough.”

  “Especially when you enjoy what you do,” she added.

  He raised his glass and so did she. “Here. Here.”

  She smiled. “I’d been following your career for a while. Imagine my surprise when the star jock turned lawyer.” She leaned onto the table, her large breasts tormented the buttons of her blouse. He expected her shirt to burst from the strain. “Any chance you’re unhappily married?”

  He wanted to choke on the coffee he drank. He wasn’t a bastard. He wasn’t a liar, and God knew that he loved Brie. He wasn’t ready to let go of her completely.

  “Sorry.”

  Kimberly stuck out her bottom lip. “Any other lawyer friends you think may hold my interest as you once did?”

  Damn, she was brazen. Just like he remembered. “Sorry. My friends all have significant others and are happily married too.”

  “That’s unfortunate, but you can’t blame a gal for asking.”

  He smiled. “No one else in your network of friends that might be available?”

  “None that could keep up with me,” she admitted with a hearty laugh. “I have a ferocious appetite and a demanding schedule. Unless you’re like me, you won’t get me, and then, what’s the point?”

  Jonah had to admit that if he were single he would already have had Kimberly back at his place. Fucking her had been fun when they were younger. He imagined things would be even better with the years of experience they had.

  “Enough about me,” she teased. “Do you have any kids with your beautiful wife?”

  Ice water being dumped over his head would’ve been more pleasant than answering that question. He glanced at his watch, an alarming need to hightail it out of there surfaced. “Kimberly, I’m so sorry, but I’ve got another appointment.” He stood and reached his hand out for her to shake. “It was good to see you again.”

  She rose from her chair. “Same here, Jonah. Don’t be a stranger.” She handed him her card. “If your marriage ever goes south…call me.”

  That could be sooner, rather than later, I’m afraid.

  He left, trying not to look as though he were in too much of a hurry. Truth was, he couldn’t wait to get home and shower. He felt dirty, sick to his stomach.

  What the hell’s wrong with me?

  Chapter Three

  Brie sat in her car outside the coffee shop and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles went white. She didn’t know who the woman was sitting with Jonah, but she hated her guts. The beautiful woman was clearly into him and he seemed to notice.

  He’d told her he wasn’t cheating on her, but she imagined that’s what most men said to their wives or girlfriends when confronted. She didn’t want to assume anything. Not yet. Her faith in Jonah didn’t change her need to tear the beautiful brunette’s head from her shoulders, though.

  When he stood abruptly and shook the woman’s hand, Brie was relieved. The action was purely professional. He then went straight for his car and Brie followed him back to the loft. She stayed back to keep from sight. When she parked her car, she inhaled deeply. She was nervous, but she couldn’t turn back now. Not when her need for Jonah was so consuming.

  With the loft keys in her hand, she grabbed for the doorknob, but just as she went to insert the key, it opened. Jonah eyed her hard.

  “What are you doing here?”

  She swallowed hard. “Invite me in,” she demanded. He opened the door and glanced out as if expecting to see Sebastian. “He’s not with me. He doesn’t even know I’m here.”

  “That’s going to piss him off,” he muttered, closing the door.

  She stood an inch apart from him as he faced her. “I know, but you’re worth it,” she replied. “And I had to see you. I didn’t like what was said when you left the ranch.”

  He moved around her. “You shouldn’t have come, Brie. Sebastian’s going to lose it when he figures out you’re here.”

  “Why would he? I’m your wife too.”

  He closed his eyes briefly, the power she held over him was impossible to ignore. She felt it. From the moment she started working at the firm, Jonah had wanted her. He’d only stayed away because of Sebastian.

  “I love that about you, but—”

  “But nothing,” she snapped. “I’m here for you, Jonah. I want to know what’s wrong. Why did you tell me it was over between us?”

  His body roared defensively, as if he’d been slapped. “I never actually said that.”

  Brie’s eyes rounded. Was he backpeddling? “Oh, yes you did. You said you couldn’t do this anymore. You couldn’t be what we once were.”

  “I can’t,” he confirmed. “I don’t want to be a third wheel. I want to feel like I matter as much as Sebastian.”

  There is was. He said it. He confessed his darkest emotions to her, shared his secret of having insecurities. But was that all there was? Saying the words didn’t seem to change the way he looked at her.

  “You do matter. Why would you ever think otherwise?” He turned away from her, his head hung low. She moved to brush her hands up and down his arms. “Do you remember when Sebastian went in search of information about Mason Levi and ended up finding out all about my fey connections?”

  He inclined his head to look back at her. “Of course I do. Those were some of the best days of my life.”

  Mine too.

  “Do you remember how good it felt to be together, just the two of us for all that time?”

  “I craved more time like that,” he admitted, his voice shaky. “Those were days I could never forget. I never had to share you. I could have you whenever I wanted. I never felt—” He cut off his words, closing his eyes as if to speak them would cause him pain.

  “What is it, Jonah? Tell me,” she begged.

  He opened his eyes, and explained, “Even when you talked about him, told me you missed him, I never felt like I was competing with my brother because I was the one who comforted you, the one who filled your nights with pleasure and kept you safe.”

  Brie’s emotions went from fearful to angry in seconds. She shoved at his chest, her action forced him to take a step back. “So what you’re telling me is that your ego and some stupid brotherly competiti
on is what’s driving you away from me?” She didn’t let him answer. “You threatened to leave me because you don’t want to share?”

  “Ye–s,” he stammered.

  She dug her hands into her hips and glared at him. “You didn’t think to talk with me about this? You just made up your mind to end things?”

  He swallowed hard.

  “Well, fuck you, Jonah. I’m sick to death over the two of you with all this male bullshit. Sebastian’s always focused on protecting me and telling me what to do. You’re always worried about hurting me. When do you both finally admit that I can take care of myself, and I don’t need you to do anything for me? I want you in my life. That should be enough.”

  He furrowed his brow as he folded his arms across his chest. “What’s going on with me has nothing at all to do with your magic, princess.”

  She groaned, balling her hands into tight fists. “Don’t call me that.”

  “You are a lycan princess, are you not?”

  She gritted her teeth. “Stop saying it like it disgusts you.”

  He closed in on her, his chest brushing against hers. The scent of his wolf present. “Stop crowding in on me after I’ve specifically asked you for space.”

  She scoffed. “Are you trying to piss me off so I leave?”

  “I didn’t ask you to follow me in the first place,” he said with a growl.

  She bumped up against him angrily and then poked him in the chest, unaffected by his primal demonstration. “Screw that, you big buffoon. You don’t get to run away from me. You don’t get to say things like ‘I can’t do this’ and expect me to sit ideally by while you go in search of who knows what.”

  She poked him again. “You don’t get to leave me, damn it.” He clasped her shoulders before she could probe at him again. His green eyes shimmering the way they’d done each time he kissed her. Really kissed her. “I need you, Jonah.”

  He brushed a fallen strand of hair back from her face. “Sweetheart, I need time to figure things out about myself. I need you to let me.”

  She shook her head, silently telling him no. “Being without you…” Her eyes watered, but before she would let him see her tears, she crushed herself up against him. “Why don’t we go away for Christmas? Just you and me.”

  He sighed and kissed the top of her head. “I would never take you away from Kayla and Kerri.” He paused. “Now Sebastian on the other hand.”

  She grinned, loving his playfulness and instant ability to lighten the mood. She appreciated his ability to keep a smile on his face even when there was not much reason to do so. Jonah offered her strength she would never fully understand. He was a part of her, and she couldn’t lose that.

  Staring into his eyes there was no mistaking that Jonah wasn’t going to give up his need to be away from her. From them. She’d respect his desire. At this point, faith in their love was all she could hold on to.

  “Will you try to make it home for Christmas?”

  He gently dragged his thumb over her lower lip, and she nipped at it, sucking it into her mouth. He groaned. “Yes, I can do that.”

  Even with the sexual heat, blistering between them, she felt the truth in his words, and was thankful to at least have that. She pressed to her tiptoes and kissed him. His frame so large compared to hers. She adored him, craved him more and more each day. He might need time to clear his head, but she needed to feel the connection that sparked between them—the one that had been missing over the last few weeks.

  Brie dragged her fingers over his waist and gripped hold of his shirt, tugging it up over his head. He didn’t object. In fact, he seemed just as eager to be with her as she was with him. Emotions between them spiraled as she feverishly worked his belt off and opened his slacks. Taking hold of his swollen cock, a guttural growl rolled from his throat against her ear.

  “I’m so glad you never listen to Sebastian,” he muttered, collecting her in his arms and rushing to the bedroom.

  She released a breath-filled laugh as he stripped her of her clothing in seconds and had her tossed on the bed. She whimpered excitedly as he came over the top of her, his movements more like his wolf than his own. Reaching down between them, she gripped his shaft and positioned it at her entrance, her need raw and demanding.

  He froze, quirking a brow. His expression was almost fearful. “Don’t you want foreplay first?”

  She sighed at his need to place her desires above his own. But right now her lust-driven thoughts wanted more than a simple orgasm. “I’ve waited weeks to feel you inside me. I don’t want to wait another second.”

  She dug the heels of her feet into his firm buttocks and pulled him toward her. In a breath, he pressed his mouth to hers, capturing her lips as he claimed her body. Seated deep inside her, he groaned, and began to slowly pump his hips.

  She was on fire, the need for Jonah had been all-consuming. It was all she’d craved the last few weeks.

  “I’ve missed this,” she murmured as he pressed himself against her, raising her leg to his hip. “I’ve missed you.”

  The muscles in his neck strained as he drove into her, over and over again. The pleasure unsurmountable. Her sensitivity was heightened by her hormones, her lust-filled needs overriding her brain. Everywhere he touched tingled and pulsed with a warmth that had her toes curling and her breath catching.

  Her pussy clamped down around his cock, and she shuddered, blown away by the ravaging orgasm that spiraled through her. “Oh God,” she cried out, digging her fingers into the muscles of his shoulders and back. “Don’t stop.”

  “Never,” Jonah grunted as he thrust his hips faster.

  She repeated the word never in her mind a dozen times, praying the spoken word was the truth. Then, he flipped her over as if he knew the exact moment her spasms subsided. Parting her legs, he came up against her back and shoved inside her once again. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him. She arched her back, presenting herself to him. He fucked her hard as he clamped his mouth over her left shoulder and bit into her flesh. She cried out as the sensation sparked unbound pleasure. Closing her eyes, she relished the pulsing between her legs. She had no clue he was going to claim her. The primal connection was almost too much. The magical energy in her body roared, welcoming Jonah once more.

  A quiver of regret jolted her. The only thing missing from this near-perfect moment was Sebastian. The three of them created something unique together, something that rose above the connection of the flesh and heart. She hoped that Jonah would soon remember just how much they needed one another. But for now, she would take what she could get.

  * * * *

  Jonah was shocked by his impulsive need to claim Brie, as if he’d never done it before. Filling her with his seed was one thing, but biting her, marking her once again as his own was something he hadn’t expected.

  His wolf had laid claim where his brain could not, and now his claws were dug into the mattress he had Brie pressed against, containing her. Instinctively, he licked the areas where his teeth had broken through her flesh and eased out of her. Sweat collected at his brow and he used the back of his hand to wipe it away. His body tingled as his wolf once again went dormant in his mind.

  Slowly, Brie rolled to her side, her lush breasts so perfectly displayed for him as he lingered near her. “That was unexpected,” she whispered, brushing her fingers over his chest. “I’d forgotten how amazing it felt to feel you like that.”

  He had too. There was nothing like feeling the primal connection coupled with sex and love. Loving Brie had come easy, like breathing. Fighting back the jealousy that ravaged him over his brother’s perfect life hadn’t.

  “I’m sorry. I had no idea that was going to happen.”

  She grinned, sitting up to slide up behind him. “I’m glad it did.”

  He wished he could say the same. The interference of his wolf only made it harder for him to deal with the unsettling emotions kicking the shit out of him. He didn’t want to feel anything but focu
sed. Brie clouded his thoughts, and all he could think about was her. She was everywhere. In his mind, his bed, even her scent was consuming him once again.

  Damn it, what am I doing?

  He wrapped his arm around hers as she hugged him and he lowered his gaze to study her wedding ring—the one he’d given her. He locked his jaw tight as he made note that Sebastian’s ring was the one that had gone on first. The reminder of being second again reared its ugly head.

  “I need a shower.”

  He stood, his abruptness unavoidable. He was suffocating. He loved Brie, wanted Brie, but he could never fully have her.

  “Was it something I did?”

  He slanted her a glance from over his shoulder just before entering the bathroom. “I told you. I need time, Brie.”

  He moved to turn on the shower, expecting her to rush to be with him. She didn’t. He compressed his jaw, hating himself for not being strong enough to just accept the bullshit of his life and his second-best status. Being Sebastian’s brother was who he was and it was unavoidable.

  Once he finished his sulking shower, he wrapped the towel around his hips and headed back into the room to see Brie. She wasn’t there. Frowning, he listened closely to locate her, but there was no sound. He darted to the door and caught sight of a note taped to the back of it.

  He read it. Now you’ll have all the time you need.

  His chest tightened as if his heart was collapsing in on itself. The palm of his hand pressed against the back of the door as his knees buckled. The power of her words left a cold chill gliding along the nerves of his body. Leaving her was one thing. It had been his terms—his fucking adolescent terms. Her leaving him—that was worse than death.

  What have I done?

  Chapter Four

  “What’s up dumbass?” Megan said as Jonah opened the door to his loft.

  Before he could say a word, Dominic was shoving the door open to let himself in. Reyes raised his hand for Megan to enter and then did the same.

  “By all means, please come in.” Jonah rolled his eyes at his unexpected guests.